The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Stations

Tuesday of Holy Week

The Third Station:  Jesus Falls the First Time
Jesus was forced to carry His own cross to the place of the crucifixion.  He stumbled and fell three times in the course of the traditional Way of the Cross.  The crowds that had just called for His crucifixion mocked Him.  Many of the same people were cheering as He made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem not long before (Luke 19:28-40).  Jesus did not shout back or struggle with the guards who pressed Him on ruthlessly.  This only made them shout the louder.

The people in the crowd were, many of them, "faithful" members of God's people. They prayed, followed the law and listened to the readings of Holy Scripture.  They did these things for themselves, not for God, and certainly not for the spiritual benefit of others.  They were essentially proud of themselves.  Being faithful to God meant that they could consider themselves to be above others.  As long as Jesus could be seen as a triumphant leader, they were happy to applaud Him.  When He stumbled, they turned on Him as quickly as they could.  What do we think we gain by calling ourselves Christians--a relationship with our God, or the ability to consider ourselves "better" than others?  How do we treat the people around us who might stumble and struggle to live up to our expectations?

Lord, help us never to use our Faith as a weapon against others for the sake of ourselves.


The Fourth Station:  Jesus Meets His Mother Mary
Jesus' friends had abandoned Him with very few exceptions.  His Mother Mary, of course, did not.  She met her son Jesus along the road to Calvary and comforted Him--not in the words of Peter at the first prediction of the Passion in the Gospel of Matthew (16:22): “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to You,” but with words of encouragement.  If anyone could understand the essence of what Jesus was doing, it must have been she whose heart was to be "pierced by a sword" (Luke 2:35).

So many of us have our hearts closed to the idea of suffering for the sake of the Kingdom of God.  Sometimes this is even more true of our attitudes toward the sacrifices of our loved ones.  We don't like the idea of suffering, and it is often a great act of charity to alleviate it in the lives of others, but avoiding it is not the primary goal of our existence.  The Blessed Virgin Mary, loving mother of Jesus, had her priorities straight.  How do we react to the sacrifices others make or consider making to bring God into their lives and into the world?  Do we discourage people from considering the more difficult path without stopping to think of what God's plan might be?

Lord, help us to support the holy sacrifices that people we love might make, according to the example of our Mother Mary.


The Fifth Station:  Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross
It is clear from the details presented in the Gospels that Jesus endured more torment than even the typical victim of crucifixion.  Simon was pressed into service against his will, not as a comfort to our Savior, but in order not to rob the angry crowd of the climactic spectacle at the end of the journey.  Simon came in "from the country" (Luke 23: 26), and was apparently not otherwise involved in the incidents surrounding Jesus' condemnation.  Now he is forever remembered as the one who shared the very cross with Christ.

Jesus is not jealous of the cross.  Rather, His example is always to invite others to share in what He is doing (e.g. Luke 9: 23-24).  The whole point of the Christian life is for us to join with Jesus beneath the wood of the cross and find union with Him in carrying our share.  We are not alone if we do not leave Him alone.  How often do we wish to keep our struggles from others and from God so that we can imagine that we suffer more than anyone else?  How seldom do we remind ourselves that the lives and struggles of Christians belong to Christ alone and must redound to His credit instead of our own?

Lord, help us to humbly bear our burdens and give all the glory to You.